Africa · Traditional

Egyptian cuisine

Egyptian cuisine is rooted in the Nile valley, where bread, pulses, vegetables, grains and river agriculture have supported everyday food for millennia. Ful, ta'ameya, koshari, stuffed vegetables, breads and festive sweets show layers of ancient, Arab, Ottoman and Mediterranean history.

Explore recipes Build a Egyptian menu Wine pairings

Food history

Why Egyptian cuisine is worth exploring

Egyptian cuisine grew along the Nile, where bread, legumes, onions and grains sustained communities for millennia. Pharaonic staples were later joined by Greek, Roman, Arab, Ottoman and Mediterranean influences, yet dishes based on fava beans, lentils and bread remain at the heart of everyday eating.

Why it is famous

Egyptian cuisine is known internationally for koshari, ful medames, ta'ameya, molokhia, mahshi, kofta, flatbreads and syrup-soaked sweets. Its appeal is broader than a list of classics, however: the cuisine comes alive in the contrast between street food, family cooking, regional produce and dishes reserved for celebrations.

Regional food story

Cairo is famous for street foods such as koshari and ful; Alexandria and the Mediterranean coast use more seafood; Upper Egypt has its own breads, grains and robust rural dishes; Nubian cooking in the south reflects a distinct cultural and geographic heritage.

How to cook it

Flavours, ingredients and menu ideas

Signature ingredients

Look through traditional Egyptian recipes and you repeatedly encounter fava beans, lentils, rice, pasta, bread, garlic, cumin, coriander, tomatoes, aubergine, molokhia leaves and sesame. Together they give the cuisine much of its flavour and texture, but regional cooking determines which ingredients lead and which stay in the background.

Cooking style

Egyptian cooking is generous with legumes, grains and slowly developed savoury flavour. Frying, stuffing, simmering and baking are common, with garlic, cumin, coriander and sharp sauces bringing lift to otherwise earthy ingredients.

Build a menu

Start with dips or a small plate of ta'ameya, then serve koshari, molokhia, stuffed vegetables or grilled meat with bread and salad. Finish with basbousa, rice pudding or another modest syrupy sweet alongside strong tea.

Starters Mains Desserts

Cook by course

Egyptian recipes

Start with a starter, choose a main, then finish with a dessert to build a complete country-inspired menu.

Starters

Egyptian starters

Baba Ghanoush

Egyptian baba ghanoush combines smoky roasted aubergine with tahini, lemon and garlic.

Starter 45 mins

Taameya

Egyptian taameya are green, herb-filled fava-bean fritters with a crisp sesame crust.

Starter 50 mins

Ful Medames

Ful medames is slow-cooked fava beans dressed with cumin, lemon, garlic and olive oil, a cornerstone of…

Starter 1 hr

Main courses

Egyptian main courses

Egyptian Kofta

Egyptian kofta is minced meat seasoned with onion, parsley and warm spices, shaped onto skewers and gril…

Main 43 mins

Roz Bel Khalta

Roz bel khalta is festive Egyptian rice mixed with nuts, raisins, spices and often liver or minced meat.

Main 53 mins

Besara

Egyptian besara is a vivid green purée of split fava beans, herbs and aromatics, served as a dip or thic…

Main 1 hr

Molokhia with Chicken

Egyptian molokhia is a glossy jute-leaf soup flavoured with garlic and coriander, served with chicken an…

Main 1 hr

Sayadeya Fish

Sayadeya is Egyptian coastal fish cooked with deeply browned onions, warm spices and seasoned rice.

Main 1 hr

Mahshi

Egyptian mahshi are vegetables filled with herbed, tomato-seasoned rice and simmered until tender.

Main 1 hr 25 mins

Koshari

Koshari layers rice, lentils, pasta and chickpeas with tomato sauce, vinegar-garlic dressing and crisp o…

Main 1 hr 30 mins

Hamam Mahshi

Hamam mahshi is pigeon stuffed with spiced freekeh or rice and roasted until deeply savoury.

Main 1 hr 50 mins

Fattah

Egyptian fattah layers crisp bread, rice and meat with garlic-vinegar sauce and tomato.

Main 2 hr 10 mins

Desserts

Egyptian desserts

Roz Bel Laban

Roz bel laban is Egyptian rice pudding cooked slowly with milk, sugar and vanilla, often topped with nut…

Dessert 55 mins

Basbousa

Egyptian basbousa is a syrup-soaked semolina cake with a tender grain and toasted nut topping.

Dessert 1 hr

Umm Ali

Umm Ali is an Egyptian baked dessert of flaky pastry, hot milk, nuts, raisins and coconut.

Dessert 1 hr

Wine and drink pairings

What to drink with Egyptian food

Egyptian dishes often suit crisp whites, dry rosé, light reds and sparkling wines. Use acidity for lemon, tahini and herbs, gentle reds for kofta and fattah, and sweet or aromatic wines for basbousa, umm ali and rice pudding.

Red

Barbera

Bright Italian red with red fruit, low tannin and high acidity. Excellent with tomato, pork, sausages, cheese and heart…

Grape: Barbera Region: Piedmont, Lombardy

Red

Cabernet Sauvignon / Bordeaux

Structured red with blackcurrant, cedar, graphite and firm tannins. Best with roast beef, lamb, steak, rich gravies and…

Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc Region: Bordeaux, Napa, Coonawarra, Maipo

Red

Malbec

Plush, dark red with blackberry, plum, cocoa and smooth tannins. Excellent with beef, charred meat, pies and smoky dish…

Grape: Malbec Region: Mendoza, Cahors

Red

Pinot Noir / Burgundy

Elegant red with red cherry, earth, spice and fine tannins. Great with duck, mushroom, poultry, pork and lighter beef d…

Grape: Pinot Noir, Spätburgunder Region: Burgundy, Oregon, Central Otago, Baden

Red

Sangiovese

Italy’s signature red grape style: bright acidity, red fruit and savoury tannin.

Grape: Sangiovese Region: Tuscany, Romagna, Umbria

Red

Syrah / Shiraz

Peppery, dark-fruited red with savoury spice and medium-to-firm tannins. Great with grilled meat, pepper, smoke, sausag…

Grape: Syrah, Shiraz Region: Northern Rhône, Barossa, South Africa

Red

Valpolicella Classico

Light-to-medium Venetian red with cherry fruit and gentle tannin.

Grape: Corvina, Rondinella, Molinara Region: Veneto

White

Albariño / Vinho Verde

Fresh coastal white wine with citrus, peach, sea-spray minerality and bright acidity. Excellent with seafood, salt cod…

Grape: Albariño, Alvarinho, Loureiro, Arinto Region: Rías Baixas, Minho, Vinho Verde